Accident in car on PCP

[mr. shr]

Hi All,
Just a quick question if anyone has any experience of this:

mrs. shr was his by car behind today. Only very minor and no injuries thankfully. Other driver has admitted full liability so no issues there either.

Question is, as this car is on a PCP, is there a specific procedure to follow with regards to the repair or do we just get it arranged through our own insurance?

 

[Abcan]

Hi

This happened to my wife's car 2 weeks after getting it. Very minor damage to rear bumper corner. It's on PCP. It was fixed through the blokes insurance, direct line. They used the local Hyundai dealer who told me it wont effect any part of the PCP or warranty as it was a Hyundai authorised body shop that was doing the work. Might be worth checking but if the car is fixed by a MB authorised repairer you should be ok.

 

[mr. shr]

Thanks.

I've contacted my insurance and they are ready to issue a hire car and to arrange for our car to be collected.
The repair company they use is only a few miles away but their website doesn't mention being approved by any specific vehicle manufacturers. It just lists the insurance companies it's approved by.

I'm concerned I may be invalidating my terms with MB if I allow work to be done on the car by a company not on their approved list.

I'll contact my supplying dealer in the morning but just wanted to try and get a heads up from people here first.

 

[ioweddie]

I would check with the supplying dealership as to whom they use for bodywork repairs

 

[GeeJayW]

Oh, it's the car that was on PCP, not the driver!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phencyclidine

Definitely check with MB to ensure paint warranty is unaffected.

 

[timskemp]

You can repair it anywhere, but remember that as it is not your fault you can repair it at a place of your choosing. As it's a newer car I'd want it fixed with genuine merc parts.

 

[whitenemesis]

Check with the finance company where they prefer to have it repaired, they own the car and may require that it's done at their approved shop

 

[gIzzE]

But also be careful, did you tell your insurer that you don't own the car?

You don't want your insurance invalidated.


I would just get it done and make sure it is spot on when you collect. Why inform the PCP company, cars have knocks, and you have been diligent in getting it repaired. Job done as far as I am concerned.

What if the PCP company says "you have to use xxxx" and the insurer says "you didn't tell us you own the car, we will not fight your corner."

Just keep quiet and get it repaired.

 

[zipdip]

Oh, it's the car that was on PCP, not the driver!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phencyclidine

Definitely check with MB to ensure paint warranty is unaffected.

I like the your idea of PCP wives,you only have to pay for 3 years plus if there are any dents in their bumpers you have to pay a little extra,that could catch on after all Google had to start somewhere

 

[Rory]

But also be careful, did you tell your insurer that you don't own the car?

You don't want your insurance invalidated.


I would just get it done and make sure it is spot on when you collect. Why inform the PCP company, cars have knocks, and you have been diligent in getting it repaired. Job done as far as I am concerned.

What if the PCP company says "you have to use xxxx" and the insurer says "you didn't tell us you own the car, we will not fight your corner."

Just keep quiet and get it repaired.

As the third party has owned up, his own insurance won't care. Look how keen they were to get him a hire car - that's so they can bump the cost up to the 3rd party.

I would want some assurance that the repair will pass the finance providers return standards. I'm sure MB, for example, would insist that the car was repaired by a MB authorised repairer. If it is, you're in the clear if there's a problem on return.

 

[gIzzE]

But you need to speak to your insurer too. Also, just because they start the ball rolling doesn't mean they have accepted liability yet.
You may find after weeks of hire cars and repair bills they wiggle, they did with me. That is when my insurer jumped in and I presume sorted it. But with insurance you really need to be 100%.

We retruned an S Class with damage repair and they didn't say anything. It had been pulled and painted and was not perfect. That was a few years ago now.

 

[Rory]

But you need to speak to your insurer too.

The OPs own insurer is dealing with it.

 

[gIzzE]

Other driver has admitted full liability so no issues there either.

Has that come from the insurer?

No good listening to the driver. I made that mistake.

The insurance company then tried to say it was 50:50, which considering he drove into my car when it parked up was a bit rich.

OP, did you tell your insurer that the car is not owned by you when getting the cover? That is all I am trying to warn.
Many don't think about that when the car is on PCP type agreements.

 

[mr. shr]

Apologies for delay. Here's an update:

Yes, my insurance company know that the car is on PCP. My wife is the registered keeper, MB Finance is the registered owner.

So initially, I was getting our car repaired through our insurance company along with the hire car.
But the following day, the at fault party's insurance company called us and told us they will take car of getting our car repaired and organising a hire car. So I'm going down that route.

This will mean I need to cancel the claim through my own insurance company.

But here's something that really annoys me. My insurance company were happy for me to have a hire car (like for like), but when I explained I'll be parking the car at an airport whilst we're on holiday, they said I can't do that.
Apparently their Ts and Cs state I cannot park the car in an airport carpark!!!
Has anyone heard of this before?

 

[mr. shr]

I would check with the supplying dealership as to whom they use for bodywork repairs

I contacted the supplying dealer and they said I'm ok to use the bodyshop approved by the insurance company.

 

[mr. shr]

Oh, it's the car that was on PCP, not the driver!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phencyclidine

Definitely check with MB to ensure paint warranty is unaffected.

Maybe the at fault driver was!!

 

[mr. shr]

You can repair it anywhere, but remember that as it is not your fault you can repair it at a place of your choosing. As it's a newer car I'd want it fixed with genuine merc parts.

Interestingly, my insurance company didn't suggest I had options. They just said a garage a couple of miles away from me was their approved workshop.

The at fault insurance company did say I could take it anywhere and submit the estimate to them for approval.

But the damage is minimal. You've got to get up close to really see it. I think it will just be a few replacement clip in panels.

If it was my S Class that was rear ended (which is owned by me, not on PCP) it would be going to Mercedes for the work, no question.

 

[mr. shr]

Check with the finance company where they prefer to have it repaired, they own the car and may require that it's done at their approved shop

I checked with the supplying dealer and they were fine for me to use the insurance company's approved bodyshop.

 

[mr. shr]

But also be careful, did you tell your insurer that you don't own the car?

You don't want your insurance invalidated.


I would just get it done and make sure it is spot on when you collect. Why inform the PCP company, cars have knocks, and you have been diligent in getting it repaired. Job done as far as I am concerned.

What if the PCP company says "you have to use xxxx" and the insurer says "you didn't tell us you own the car, we will not fight your corner."

Just keep quiet and get it repaired.

Shouldn't be an issue as they know it's a rental.

 

[mr. shr]

As the third party has owned up, his own insurance won't care. Look how keen they were to get him a hire car - that's so they can bump the cost up to the 3rd party.

I would want some assurance that the repair will pass the finance providers return standards. I'm sure MB, for example, would insist that the car was repaired by a MB authorised repairer. If it is, you're in the clear if there's a problem on return.

Supplying dealer said that as long as the car comes back in good condition, they wouldn't even be aware that an accident had occurred, so it wont be a problem.

Once the car is repaired, the work is guaranteed for a year (I think). But car is going back in a couple of months so should be ok.